Thursday, February 12, 2009

If you ever thought you'd like to have a stained glass window on your bed, Lisa Boots is the woman you need to talk to. She makes quilts that look like stained glass. Seriously, this is some cool stuff... but you probably wouldn't really want to put these beautiful creations on your bed. Hang one on a wall and watch your friends stare in amazement.

Lisa is from Lafayette, Indiana, the sister city to West Lafayette, the home of Purdue University. I'm fairly certain I didn't know where Purdue was located before, but now I know it's located near a wonderful artist. And here's what she has to say:

I have enjoyed various forms of needlework for as long as I can remember, and started quilting as an expectant mom twenty-three years ago. Fifteen years later, I made a college visit with that beautiful daughter. The date coincidentally fell on the same weekend of a large quilt show in the town where we were staying.

I saw some pieces there that later inspired the technique I ultimately developed. Attempts were being made at the idea of quilted stained glass designs but they had what I call a "cutesier" and "quiltier" kind of feeling.

I wanted to make pieces that could be mistaken for actual stained glass windows. During my first gallery opening in 2003, I saw a couple looking at my work and realized that they were quietly arguing. Hung fairly high and out of reach, he was pointing at the work saying he thought they were fabric. She was shaking her head to disagree, because she thought they had to be glass.

I remember thinking "OK I did it!"

3. Who taught you the particular skills you use in your work?

I am self taught as a quilter and developed my own technique for the stained glass pieces.

4. When did you start selling your work?

I sold my first piece from the gallery about a month before the opening and another that night. From that point I have enjoyed more sales there as well as commission placements and now the opportunity for online sales with Etsy.

5. What is your favorite thing about your online shop?

I just really like the freedom and flexibility the Etsy format offers to create the shop and feature the pieces. I have often said that I am "techno-challenged", but I was able to put the shop together with relative ease.

6. What is your favorite thing about what you sell?

First, it would be the "trompe l'oeil" or "fool the eye" effect of what I do. Then there is the fact that I am a self proclaimed color freak . I love the saturation and range of colors in the fabrics and the way the mottled black "lead came" makes them pop.

7. What is your favorite item in your own shop and why?

Wow, this is hard. It is a bit like choosing between your children (and I only have one). I guess "Fire Dancer" for the intense colors and the detail in the headpiece.

8. What teams do you belong to and what do you like most about them?

I am totally new to the team thing, but I was invited to join Design Style Guide and I am thrilled with the connection to other artists and the endless possibilities of promotion from the site.

9. What is the most fun thing you do to promote your shop?

Right now I am just enjoying looking at other shops and seeing how they are set up, and of course I love looking at the incredible art that people are producing.

And I am really in awe of "Mysticsilks'" silk paintings. But honestly, I have only scratched the surface of the amazing work offered [by Design Style Guide].

11. What do you do in your spare time?

Spare time?????? You are kidding, right? Actually, my basic every day chores like grocery shopping, house cleaning, laundry... these are what I think of as work.

Pretty much every other waking moment is spent doing what I love... making my art. Of course a large part of my process is the hand stitching of the "lead came" and I do some of that while watching TV with my hubby. We love the various crime dramas that are so popular now.

12. Do you have anything else you would like to share?

Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone that has welcomed me to the team, or chosen one of my pieces for a treasury, and especially to Jay who has helped me in the techno-challenged department and offered to do this interview for the blog!

Not a problem, Lisa. I'm happy to help, and we're happy to have you on our team.

If you make Handmade Home Decor Items, come and join our team by clicking on the image below.

Not only will you be able to network with us, but also you will have the ability to post your listing on our team website.

As I scrolled down the interview and Lisa's beautiful quilts rolled into view, I said, " My god, if this gal was not part of our team, I'd have to beg her to join--awesome work! So glad you are with us!